And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. By faithfully filling the crucial roles of prophet, priest, and judge, Samuel helped to transform the House of Israel from a collection of weak and often warring tribes to a relatively permanent and somewhat stable nation in the contentious ancient Middle East. While it is possible to read the narrative of Samuels birth in other ways, a covenant perspective allows readers to interpret many, perhaps most, of its details from a single, unified point of view, thus revealing great interpretive depth to the text. Genealogy.15 Consistent with the convention of genealogies throughout the Hebrew Bible, the brief genealogy that launches the story of Samuels birth identifies Samuels ancestors as Ephraimites,16 distinguishes the account from the long but unremarkable reign of the judges, and introduces the auspicious but problematic reign of the kings in ancient Israel. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. Type Scene: Chosen Judge. 9. The second way that Hannah continues to nurture her firstborn is mentioned below in the discussion of 1 Samuel 2:19. For comparable instances of this identical response elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, see Genesis 22:7; 27:1, 18; 31:11; 37:11; 46:2; Exodus 3:4. Samuel was born in answer to Hannahs prayers. and why eatest thou not? . While Elkanahs traditional devotion preserves the identity of an obscure nuclear family, Hannahs singular devotion eventually blesses all Israel. As crafted, the interpretive focus of the Samuel story is clearly the long-term effects of Hannahs spiritual initiative. His maternal grandfather who at first raised him was racist, misogynistic, and altogether abusive. Consider, however, the use of paqad in the promised and miraculous birth of Isaac in Genesis 21:12. . Shakab contrasts dramatically with yada and connotes physical, temporary, and profane sexual liaisons, undertaken without spiritual purpose, covenant bond, or sacred devotion.58, Leitwrter: remembered and visited. International Standard Version The LORD took note of Hannah, and she became pregnant and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Characterization: Priest and Suppliant. Therefore, while intended as an expression of generosity, the offering reveals Elkanahs insensitivity, at the very least, to the storys central crisis and may actually be insulting to Hannah. Background: Preterm birth continues to be a leading cause of death for children under the age of 5 globally. 1 Samuel 28:3-7. The Nephites had become wicked and would not listen. Because of his education he was respected by other slaves, and he was a well known preacher and leader. McCarter, I Samuel, 59 n.3, mentions that both sons names are Egyptian in origin and that Elis lineage traced its right to the priesthood back to Moses. This subtle literary convention repeatedly brings attentive readers back to the central focus of the larger narrative. 27. . A literary pattern that assists readers in this process of discovery involves a characters first speech and first action. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him. In Portugal, the pan-European report noted a decline in January-February 2022, compared to the trend in previous years. Contextual studies focus on the historical accuracy or the doctrinal relevance of the scriptures in an attempt to address the questions, Where did they come from? and What do they mean to me? The present approach does not disparage a contextual approach to the scriptures. And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. It is quite unlikely that either the powers of the king or the prerogatives of the priest were as closely defined as this in the early period. And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. bringeth low, and lifteth up (2:7) reinforces the contrast between the house of Eli, which is rejected by the Lord despite its long-standing and prominent ritual status in Israel, and the previously obscure house of Elkanah, which is blessed by God to effect a substantial, enduring, beneficial transformation among all Israel (2:2736; 3:1114, 1921). Birth date: August 30, 1797. Shes a mom! These are known by the technical German term Leitwort. (2:110), Parallelism. Alter observes that biblical narrators develop in-depth characterization through the use of a complex array of literary tools: Through the report of actions; through appearance, gestures, posture, costume; through one characters comments on another; through direct speech by the character; through inward speech, either summarized or quoted as interior monologue; or through statements by the narrator about the attitudes and intentions of the personages, which may come as flat assertions or motivated explanations. Alter, Art, 11617. Furthermore, mood disorders are also commonly related to childhood trauma, affecting a child's functioning in many ways. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. Horn is used metaphorically in Hebrew poetry as a distinctive feature of humans and other animals, especially one that is enlarged because the Lord has blessed it. 20. And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him (3:1517). While the transition details the woes of Elis house, it also contains five separate references to Samuels progressively faithful service to the Lordat the beginning and end of the transition and periodically throughout (2:11, 18, 21, 26; 3:1a). And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good. Of particular interest is the sequence of events that culminates in Gods initial fulfillment of Hannahs vow: And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her.35 In these thirty-three English words, and appears six times. For example, Alter (Art, 84) and Simon (Prophetic Narratives, 15) offer astute comments on eating and drinking in 1Samuel1. These scenes infer meaningful connections with other individuals and settings in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles that serve as positive and negative exemplars of Gods enduring covenant with his children. He was to warn them to repent and believe in the Savior. Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob & Esau, Perez, See Genesis 30:2224 for a similarly structured sequence of events regarding childbirth. . Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. . This perspective does acknowledge, however, that biblical portraits are focused, even in their depth and complexity, and include few extraneous details. 63. She fasts, she prays, she bears and nurtures, she sacrifices and gives thanks, she serves, and she remains faithful to her divine calling without any desire for personal position, recognition, or recompense.27 As a result, the narrative portrays Hannah as worthy of becoming the mother of one of Israels greatest prophets and of serving as a paragon of holiness in the Hebrew Bible. This tradition has two questionable features: Samuel is the only judge who is a permanent magistrate as well as a military leader, and his conclusive victory over the Philistines in chapter 7 cannot be historical, since it is contradicted by the subsequent military exploits of Saul and David. Samuel is a miracle child. While some linkages may be incidental, most scholars recognize that an authors intentional linkages create a phenomenon that Adele Berlin, following Paul Werth, calls poetic effect, which she defines as the result of an interaction between verbal form and meaning. Adele Berlin, The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992), 10. Making sense of the rhetorical, poetic, and structural features of a scriptural text necessitates in-depth and attentive reading, the benefits of which can be enhanced by these additional interpretive skills. Nothing is clearer in the final form of the text than Yahwehs utter mastery of the situation, whatever it may be. Polzin, Samuel, 4. Chapters 13 of 1 Samuel1 describe the miraculous origins and auspicious upbringing of the first major Hebrew prophet since Joshua, who by all measures lived centuries before Samuel.2 The biblical account of Samuels beginnings forecasts the exceptional ministry of the man who served as Israels last complete sovereign. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord. This usage introduces another meaningful connotation of the verb, shakab, in relation to yada (know). Samuel is ever faithful to his consecrated responsibilities at Shiloh and eventually becomes one of Israels greatest spiritual leaders. Since biblical narrative characteristically catches its protagonists only at the critical and revealing points in their lives, the biblical type-scene occurs not in the rituals of daily existence, but at the crucial junctures in the lives of the heroes, from conception and birth to betrothal to deathbed. Alter, Art, 51; see also Alter, Moses, 64 n.10; 11819 n.11; 315 n.16. David had been shuffled off to his fathers fields to work as a shepherd boy. Risking an overly simplistic introduction of this convention, the present study recognizes two general perspectives in the Hebrew Bible, contrasted by scope. The problem may be resolved by identifying a role for Samuel that receives only passing mention because it no longer existed when this material was written. WebSaul, along with three of his sons die in a battle with the Philistines. 1. . And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? The result of the action is usually considered enduring and definitive.32 In short, the text projects that her vow to the Lord will be unequivocal and permanent. 993 BC. Simon, Prophetic Narratives, 3637, 43, systematically compares the miraculous birth narratives of the Hebrew Bible and summarizes this biblical scene type. 11. Insensitive as it may be, Elkanahs first direct speech shifts the discourse of the story from narrative to dialogue, in keeping with the biblical convention. . One of many studies of this genre in the Hebrew Bible is Steven Weitzman, Song and Story in Biblical Narrative: The History of a Literary Convention in Ancient Israel (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997); see also Alter, Moses, 397 n.1. The story of Samuels birth and calling is one of many contributions to this core ideological focus of the Hebrew Bible. Hannahs song of exultation on an auspicious occasion elicits positive comparison with Moses, Miriam, and David in the Hebrew Bible (Exodus 15, Deuteronomy 3132, 2 Samuel 22) and Zacharias, Mary, and Simeon in the Christian Bible (Luke 12).50, And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. Sternberg recognizes that biblical narratives are distinguished by the dynamic interplay of competing and complementary perspectives: Insofar as the Bible has a poetics as well as a genesis of composition, it establishes a set of norms by which we not only interpret the action but also evaluate the actors by reference to the narrators perspective as artist. Sternberg, Poetics, 155. Following the reception of Samuels first prophecy, hearing and seeing figure prominently in the interchange between the priest and his protg: Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision. The concept of covenant not only unifies this brief but auspicious narrative but also positions it centrally within the larger epic of Gods ancient covenant people in the holy land. Samuel thus appears as a leader in all Israel; his leadership is exercised in war and law, but his authority is basically religious, mostly prophetic, although with some features of priestly authority. Information about Samuel is contained in The First Book of Samuel (called in the Roman Catholic canon The First Book of Kings). In short, this study adopts the perspective of the eminent historian Alan Heimert: To discover the meaning of any utterance demands what is in substance a continuing act of literary interpretation, for the language with which an idea is presented, and the imaginative universe by which it is surrounded, often tell us more of an authors meaning and intention than his declarative propositions.5 While it may not be possible to determine with complete certainty the authors specific purposes for crafting this account, there is great value in making an attempt.6 To this end, the present literary analysis of 1 Samuel 13 is based on the following general premises.7. Brought to the Temple at Shiloh as a young child to serve God in Indications are that they were a group of fanatical religious and national conservatives. According to the account, Elkanah loves Hannah, favors her with a worthy portion of the ceremonial offering, and is her partner in the conception of Samuel; nevertheless, he leads out in and is concerned with no other family roles than performing the annual ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic law and providing for the familys material support. 58. David was young when Samuel found him. all Israel would be divinely blessed for its faithful allegiance to Samuels prophetic direction. Leitwrter: establish and cut off. By the revelation of Yahweh, however, he anointed Saul king and installed him before all Israel (chapters 910). english literature timeline. 3) Hophni and Phinehas, Elis sons, refused to listen to the voice & rebuke of their father (1 Samuel 2:25) and it was the LORDs will to put them to death. 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